Just a word on Sparx helmets.

[DaRider]

Hi all,

I bought myself a new Sparx full face helmet at Bangkok motorbike festival since i wanted something a little more solid than the Thai helmets i've used previously.

For the price you know its not going to be top end quality, but they are DOT and ECE certified, get all good reviews, are comfortable, light weight and, at least to me, appears to be of about same quality as as some brand-name helmets lower line collections at half the cost. They also have a very impressive 5 year warranty plus a unique crash-replacement programme.

That's where my little little line of "surprises" began. When i got back to my hotel and read the warranty card and saw that they recommend replacing the helmet every 5 years because of the ageing factor of the materials. After looking at sticker (under the liner) stating the manufacturing date i realized that i had little over 18 month of use left until "best before date".

Later, (after contacting Sparx support cause the glue holding the trim at the bottom of the helmet melted in the heat the first time i used it) i also found out that their warranty is valid in the US only, and that it's up to the retailer to grant you any warranty or not.

Now, I'm not trying to put the manufacture or their product down in any way, i should have read the the warranty before i bought the helmet (well, maybe heat resistant glue would've been a good idea though..), but if you're thinking about getting one of these helmets, make sure to check the manufacturing date so you get a "fresh" one.

Cheers..

 

[nikster]

Sorry to hear that - mine was made in March 2010 so I guess I'm lucky. I've now had 3 SparX helmets - one was stolen, got 2 replacements.

Best helmet I've ever had, and I think really you're getting 95% of an Arai helmet for 1/5th the price. Works very well in all sorts of conditions, great air flow prevents fogging even in the rain, the very hard "last click" of the shield which allows one to ride with the shield open just one click for extra ventilation - extremely useful in day to day city riding.

I have noticed though that between the 3 SparX I have, they're not all the same - on one, the last click is extremely hard where on the other 2 it's just right. So there are teeny tiny quality differences between different helmets. That's the difference to Arai, I suppose: Both my Arai are perfect in every way.

As for warranty - you can probably try to send it in in the USA but SparX doesn't warranty (or even officially sell) their helmets here in Thailand. From what I've been told by FastCorner the same is true for Arai though: I asked "do I have a warranty on this Arai"? Answer: No. TIT!

 

[DaRider]

I'm definitely not trying to advice anyone against getting one.

Just passing on information that checking the helmets manufacturing date before buying is a good idea, and that warranty doesn't apply outside the US.

Beside the loose trim, was easy enough to fix, i'm really happy with this helmet. It's light weight and comfy, ventilation works well, liner is washed twice and seems to hold together, and the fact that i don't pay extra money for a famous brand name on the side suits me perfectly. And after contacting Sparx support they offered me 50% off retail price plus shipping on a new helmet even though i failed to register which seems more than reasonable to me. Can't accept their offer though, shipping and handling would probably end up being twice the price of a new helmet, but still..

nikster - Those two replacements you got, were they due to accidents?